President Bill Perry will escape from his office today from 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. to be at students’ disposal in the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union Food Court.

Perry kicked off “Escape from Old Main” last semester and organized five different events.

“Pure and simple, I enjoyed speaking with the students and finding out what is on there on their minds,” Perry said. “It gave me a feel for what was going on on-campus and what students are thinking about.”

Each student who speaks to Perry will receive a sticker with the “Escape from Old Main” logo.

Perry said he gave out a total of about 150 stickers to students, about 30 per event.

“One of the reasons I am here is because this is a place where people value personal relationships, and you are not going to be engaged in those personal relationships if you just sit in your office all of the time,” Perry said.

He usually asks students where they are from, what they study and, generally, what is on their minds, Perry said.

“Most of the time, I am the one asking the questions, but some students ask if they can send me an email or if they can stop by the office some time,” Perry said. “I want students to be able to talk to me with what they think is important and provide an environment where it wouldn’t be a scary experience.”

Perry said a lot of the conversation usually revolves around what time of the year it is.

“When it was right after Thanksgiving, I would ask about their break and if they were glad to be back, so a lot of it is driven by what is going on at the time,” Perry said. “The other themes include how classes and midterms are going for them.”

He said he makes time for all students who approach him, even if they are on their way to class and can only spare a couple of minutes.

“No matter how much time students have, I think students will be able to put a name to a face and get a little bit of a sense of who I am in terms of personality,” Perry said. “I always enjoy getting out of the office and walking around campus to talk and drop in on people.”

“Escape from Old Main” is also scheduled from 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. on March 27 in the Taylor Hall Lobby and April 17 at the East side of Stevenson Tower Dining.

Rachel Rodgers can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected].